Caribbean keeps #1point5ToStayAlive alive at COP 23

It’s easy to spot Caribbean people. They tend to be the ones walking as though they’re dancing, speaking as though every word is part of a melody, and unable to keep their hands out of the conversation. These musical talents were put to use in the ‘1.5 to stay alive’ campaign.

Caribbean highlights 1.5 To Stay Alive through song.

The United Nations Climate Conference began in Germany, under the Presidency of the Government of Fiji, and in true Caribbean fashion, PANOS Caribbean has released a music video of the theme-song produced two years ago on the occasion of COP21 in Paris, a song that calls on the world to recognise and respect the legitimate claims of small islands in the face of climate change.

With lyrics written by Kendel Hippolyte and music composed and produced by Ronald Boo Hinkson, this song stresses the need for greater climate justice and for a shared commitment to combat climate change. This project brought together several of the Caribbean’s greatest and most conscious artists, as part of a regional campaign spearheaded by Panos Caribbean in collaboration with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, the Caribbean Development Bank and other regional partners.

Artists performing in the song include Banky Banx from Anguilla, BelO from Haiti, E.sy Kennenga from Martinique, Jessy Leonce, Ace Loctar and Shayne Ross from Saint Lucia, David Rudder from Trinidad, Aaron Silk from Jamaica, and Taj Weekes and Deridee Williams from Saint Lucia. “The arts make us act,” says Kendel Hippolyte, who has called on Caribbean artists to raise their voice on the issue of climate change. “The arts make us act, and we need action to respond to the threats and realities of climate change.”

This music video is one of the materials to be released over the next few weeks by the “#1point5tostayalive campaign” to raise awareness of and generate support for the Caribbean’s position in the critical negotiations taking place in Bonn over the next two weeks, and in coming months, as small island states and other vulnerable countries will continue to advocate for a global commitment to effectively limit temperature increase to 1.5o C above pre-industrial levels.